On Jan 25, 2021, at 10:03, Andrew Janke wrote: > On 1/25/21 10:31 AM, Ryan Schmidt wrote: >> On Jan 25, 2021, at 01:55, Joshua Root wrote: >> >>> On 2021-1-25 18:48 , Andrew Janke wrote: >>>> How do you download the installers for Big Sur and for older versions of >>>> macOS? I've always had to go through the App Store to download installers, >>>> and what it makes available for me is dependent on the current OS version >>>> and hardware of my Mac. And half the time, when I try to create a new VM >>>> using an old version's installer, the installer process tells me "This >>>> installer has been damaged" and refuses to continue. (This happens on >>>> installer copies that had worked in the past. I assume it's some sort of >>>> certificate problem.) >>>> I ask because I've been trying to set up a VM-based build farm for Octave >>>> and Octave.app (https://octave-app.org/) and not having much luck. >>> Recent versions can be downloaded here: >>> <https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT211683> >>> >>> The rest are available at <https://developer.apple.com/download/more/>. >> OS versions are only available in the developer download area for paid Apple >> developer program members. Free Apple developer program members can't access >> OS installers there and should use the support article above (to download >> 10.10 or later) or the Purchased tab of the Mac App Store (to download >> 10.7-10.9). Only older OS installers that you previously downloaded from the >> Mac App Store will be in the Purchased tab. >> >> Apple redesigned how the App Store works in macOS Mojave, so there can >> indeed be some difference in the what you get from the App Store depending >> on whether you download on 10.14-or-later or 10.13-or-earlier. >> >> The certificate Apple used to sign its installer packages expired October >> 24, 2019. Any Apple installers for the OS or anything else that you may have >> saved that were signed with that certificate are now unusable. Throw them >> out and download new versions of those installers now; most of them have >> been re-posted signed with newer certificates. >> > Ah, that explains it. Guess I'll re-up my Developer membership...
If you like, but you can get released OS installers without it, as detailed above. Paid developer membership does give you other perks, like prerelease OS versions.